-Another game against the team on the second game of a back-to-back. It’ll be tough for the Knicks to play their frenetic style with tired legs, especially since they’re playing an eight-man rotation.

-David Lee will be an interesting matchup with Shaq. He’s always made a living by getting garbage baskets around the rim with either hand, but this year he’s added a mid-range jumper he appears to have a lot of confidence in. It’ll be interesting to see if he can get Shaq out of the paint by knocking that shot down consistently and/or sneak around Shaq for offensive boards.

-Gallinari has become maybe the most dangerous offensive player on this team. The Cavs will have to keep an eye on him at all times and deny him any easy threes.

4 Responses to “Preview: Knicks at Cavaliers, February 6th”

Alright I just have to get something off my chest, and it isn’t related to the Knicks or the 24 pt loss they are going to eat tonight.

[And JK, I agree with Tsunami… that AI2 breakdown was other-worldly. Count me in the group that thinks he would be sensational with the Cavs.]

Do any of you actually think that this years championship run makes any difference towards Bron’s decision? I can’t fathom how a championship vs a finals loss vs an ECF loss this year would make a meaningful difference in his thought process. Sure there would be a short lived emotional component to either outcome, and I’m sure that a 1st round loss would piss him off quite a bit, but I would be shocked if he isn’t thinking about the 10 year big picture here. He may not be a “killer” but he is definitely thinking about 7 rings in my opinion (and I am NOT one of those people who thinks he needs 7 rings to retire with the ultimate distinction of “best player ever”). I just think that the THIS YEAR factor is extremely overrated and driven by the media and fans more than anything.

Would any of you actually PREFER championship-this-year-then-Lebron-leaves to a scenario in which the Cavs lose in the playoffs BUT he stays for the next 4 years? Ferry’s move should be dictated by “keep Lebron” more than “championship now” and I think those are 2 different things, and possibly the biggest argument for AI2 over Jamison.

James responsible for 50 points in the first half…35 on 18 shots, 13 on 6 assists, and 2 more on one of his four steals that led to a fast break (surprisingly, James did not otherwise have a hand in this fast break…I give him credit for no other reason than it gives him 50 points in a half. Which is pretty awesome).

The Cleveland Cavs – are LeBron’s team. He’s been here longer than the coaches, the gm, the owner, and all of the players sans Z. In a way, he is the cornerstone of the entire franchise. He doesn’t work for the Cavs – he IS THE CAVS. Why would he leave HIMSELF? You know? I know it sounds sort of cliche, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that he’d be leaving so much that HE HAS BUILT UP. Mike Brown really lets him call the shots, he advises (or allows) all the major FA deals. He has an owner willing to spend anything….it just makes no sense why he would leave. The only situation I could see is where the organization is stingy or unwilling to do things to get better. And the last 3 years, they have been a model franchise from top to bottom.

That being said, I think way too much of the discussion about trades is around salaries and such. Many people say “Well if we trade for Igudala and LeBron leaves, then we have his horrible contract…”. 1.) If we sign Igudala, and LeBron leaves, he’d be walking away from a 3-peat in my opinion. 2.) If LeBron leaves, THERE IS NO CONTINGENCY PLAN! Because he IS THE CAVS.

I don’t understand how salaries need to match up, and i’d hate to give up too much in a trade, but since salary is no exception to Dan Gilbert, I’d totally take on Dalembert and Igudala for Z. The problem is you need more salary to make it work (and I woudln’t want to give up Boobie or Hickson. why? Because they’re young, they’re talented, and they’re close to LeBron)

I’d rather have 10 straight awesome seasons ending in disappointment than 1 championship this year, LeBron leaving, and then being reduced to nothing while LeBron plays out his prime.

The whole “RINGS” argument is ridiculous. I think that players that really step up in playoffs and the NBA Finals deserve some consideration for that, but merely being on an awesome team does not make someone better than another player.

Tsunami, that was well said. I agree 100%. I’m sure that JK will break this whole thing down at the appropriate time (All Star Break?!?) but this is the number one thing that all these so called analysts SHOULD be talking about rather than whether Team A is better than Team B in games that the players don’t even care about. The fact that Lebron is this good at 70% of his potential is just staggering. 4 years from now we will probably laugh when reminded of the Kobe comparisons, and 10 years from now we may be laughing at the Jordan comparisons. We are all lucky to be watching it firsthand.

The Lineup: (Click for Author’s Archive)

Nate Smith is an Associate Editor. He grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and moved to NE Ohio in 2000. He adopted the Cavs in 2003 and graduated from Kent State in 2009 with a BA in English. He can be contacted at oldseaminer@gmail.com or @oldseaminer on Twitter.

Tom Pestak is an Associate Editor. He's from the west side of Cleveland and lives and (mostly) dies by the success and (mostly) failures of his beloved teams. You can watch his fanaticism during Cavs games @tompestak.

Robert Attenweiler is a Staff Writer. Originally from OH, he's long made his home in NYC where he writes plays and screenplays (www.disgracedproductions.com) some of which end up being about Ohio, basketball or both. He has also written for The Classical and the blog Raising the Cadavalier. You can contact him at rattenweiler@gmail.com or @cadavalier.

Benjamin Werth is a Staff Writer. He was born in Cleveland and raised in Mentor, OH. He now lives in Germany where he is an opera singer and actor. He can be reached at blfwerth@gmail.com.

Cory Hughey is a Staff Writer. He grew up in Youngstown, the Gary, Indiana of Ohio. He graduated from Youngstown State in 2008 with a worthless telecommunications degree. He can be contacted at theleperfromwatts@yahoo.com or @coryhughey on Twitter.

David Wood is our Links Editor. He is a 2012 Graduate of Syracuse University with an English degree who loves bikes, beer, basketball, writing, and Rimbaud. He can be reached on Twitter: @nothingwood.

Mallory Factor is the voice of Cavs: The Podcast. By day Mallory works in fundraising and by night he runs a music business company. To see his music endeavors check out www.fivetracks.com. Hit him up at Malloryfactorii@gmail.com or @Malfii.

John Krolik is the Editor Emeritus of Cavs: The Blog. At present, he is pursuing a law degree at Tulane University. You can contact him at johnkrolik@gmail.com or @johnkrolik.

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